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The rock community, it seems, was bursting at the seams with new releases this year. While some records were okay at best, there were just as many that proved to be truly outstanding efforts. Needless to say there were so many of said albums that it was anything but easy to come up with a list of the year’s top new rock records. But somehow, Phil’s Picks managed it. That list includes new efforts from bands young and old alike. The more experienced bands featured on this list include: Santana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Foghat just to name a few. The younger bands represented here include the likes of Buffalo Summer, Love and a .38, and Zodiac. Whether veteran or next generation, the rock community produced a slew of outstanding records this year.

Phil’s Picks presents 15 of those records with its Top 10 picks and five honorable mention titles. Without any further ado, here is the Phil’s Picks 2016 Top 10 New Rock Albums.

Country music is one of the most profitable of the mainstream music industry’s countless genres today. From the real, viable artists and acts to the winners of television’s many karaoke contests, country music has proven time and again that it is deserving of its own year-ender “best of” list. That being the case, Phil’s Picks presents today its list of the year’s top new country music albums. There are no TV karaoke contestants’ albums on this list, either; only the real deal. This year’s list of top new country albums includes veterans such as Dolly Parton, Wynona Judd, Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson and some even some lesser known acts such as Raleigh, NC’s own independent act Hank, Pattie & The Current. As a added note, the group’s debut self-titled album is being considered for a Grammy nomination. That’s a powerful statement for an independent act and wholly deserved, too.

As a reminder to readers, this list features Phil’s Picks Top 10 albums in their given category along with five additional honorable mention titles for a title of 15 albums. Enough rambling. Without any further ado, here is Phil’s Picks 2016 Top 10 New Country Music albums.

PBS Distribution will open the new year with a “super” new release from PBS Kids.

Super Why: Puppy Power! will be released on DVD Tuesday, January 10, 2017. the latest home release from the family favorite series features four more episodes of fun and word-building lessons for children.

This collection introduces the Super Readers’ newest member, Woofster, in the episode “Woofster Finds A Home.” In “The Pupp-athon” the Super Readers help Woofster learn how to focus during a talent show, and in “Super Puppy Saves The Day,” Woofster and the Super Readers learn anyone can be a hero. Young viewers also learn the importance of teamwork in “Woofster and the Pet Pack” in which the Super Readers, along with Woofster” jump into Whyatt’s comic book about Woofster and the Pet Pack.

Each episode features invaluable life lessons while also teaching equally important word-building skills. The DVD will retail for MSRP of $9.99. It can be pre-ordered online via PBS’ online store. More information on this DVD, other Super Why! DVDs and lots more Super Why! games, activities and more is available online at:

The 2016 World Series is one of the most important fall classic series that Major League Baseball and its fans have seen in over a century. It was through this year’s World Series that “next year” became “this year” and “it can happen” became “it did happen.” Next Tuesday, Cubs loyalists and baseball fans alike will be able to own the complete 2016 World Series for themselves thanks to MLB Productions and Shout! Factory in the form of the 2016 World Series Collector’s Edition: Chicago Cubs. This piece is a must have both for Cubs loyalists and for MLB fans in general. That is due in no small part to the 8-disc set’s overall audio and video presentation. That will be discussed shortly. The companion booklet included in the set is just as important to note in examining the set’s presentation as its overall presentation. Last but hardly least of note here is the set’s bonus disc. Each element is key in its own right to the box set’s presentation. All things considered, this box is the year’s top new sports box set, the year’s top new family box set, and one of the year’s top new overall DVD/BD box sets.

Shout! Factory and MLB Productions’ 2016 World Series Collector’s Edition: Chicago Cubs takes three swings and hits it out of the park all three times. This set is the year’s top new sports box set, the year’s top new family box set and one of the year’s top new DVD/BD box sets. That is due in no small part to the overall presentation of the 7-game series in the set’s main feature. Presented in the set’s main feature is the 2016 World Series in its entirety from the first pitch to the last out. All seven games are here just as they were originally presented on FOX. The commercial breaks are even included in each game, just without any commercials. So that speeds things up at least a little bit, making the overall viewing experience even better. If that isn’t enough for fans, MLB Productions and Shout! Factory have offered fans the option to experience the game with standalone radio broadcasts from the teams’ home radio stations in place of the TV call and even in Spanish. On the surface that might not seem like much, but in the bigger picture of the series’ presentation here, it is very important to note. Some people prefer radio broadcasts to the TV call whether in English or another language. Others prefer the TV call to radio. So what MLB Productions and Shout! Factory have done here is honor all of the game’s fans. They are to be highly commended for paying such attention to even this detail. Of course, those familiar with MLB Productions’ past World Series know this is nothing new for those productions. That makes MLB Productions even more deserving of applause here. It shows that MLB Productions has lived up to its reputation once more in this box set. Keeping that in mind, it’s just one way in which MLB Productions has impressed yet again with this set. The companion booklet included in the set adds just as much enjoyment to the set’s presentation.

The full, diverse TV and radio presentation of the 2016 World Series in the 2016 World Series Collector’s Edition: Chicago Cubs is in itself a hugely important piece of the set’s presentation. It allows audiences to re-live the 7-game series in its entirety not just on TV but on radio while still getting to see it on TV. What’s more, Shout! Factory and MLB Productions have allowed fans here to experience it simultaneously on radio and TV both in English and Spanish. This is a huge statement of the dedication to the game’s fans across the board. In and of itself, it makes this element a hugely important piece of the set’s presentation. It is only one important piece of the set’s presentation, too. The companion booklet that is included with the set lives up to MLB Productions’ reputation just as much as the presentation of the game on disc. Once again, MLB Productions has included a complete box score for each game. That means it presents the numbers not just for the Cubs but for the Indians, too in each game. Audiences even get some interesting trivia with each game to enhance the viewing experience. Just one of the interesting pieces of that trivia that is included in the set’s companion booklet comes in the outline of Game 7. The booklet notes with this game;s information, :The Cubs are the first team to come back from a 3 – 1 deficit and win World Series Games 6 and 7 on the road since the 1979 Pirates.” Audiences also learn of the Indians in the notes for Game 3, “The Indians’ Game 3 shutout was their fifth in the 2016 postseason, establishing a Major League record for a single postseason.” As an added note, fans also learn here that the Indians’ game three World Series win meant the team won all eight postseason games when it scored first. These are just some of the interesting tidbits that are shared through the series’ companion booklet. There is far more that audiences will enjoy when they purchase the set for themselves or that special MLB fan. Each game even includes a note of the temperature at the start of each game, the games’ attendance and much more. The booklet gets that specific with each game’s outline and then some. When this is all taken into consideration, it becomes even more clear why the collection’s companion booklet is just as important to its presentation as its overall presentation. It is just one more piece of the set’s presentation that stands out. The inclusion of the Cubs’ NLCS Game 6 win over the Dodgers rounds out the set’s most important elements.

The overall TV and radio presentation of the 2016 World Series in the 2016 World Series Collector’s Edition: Chicago Cubs and the set’s companion booklet are both key components of the set’s presentation. The overall TV and radio presentation of the series and its presentation of the series in its entirety gives audiences a full viewing experience in the utmost sense of the term. The set’s companion booklet adds even more depth and enjoyment to the set’s presentation with its bonus trivia and fully in-depth box scores. Both elements are key by themselves and together. However, they aren’t the set’s only important elements to note. The bonus NLCS Game 6 presentation included in the set rounds out the set’s most important elements. MLB Productions and Shout! Factory have included in this set, the Cubs’ 5 – 0 shutout of the Dodgers in Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS as a bonus for audiences here. For those who might not know, the NLCS was just as interesting as the World Series. The Cubs opened the series with a solid 8 – 4 win over Los Angeles, But then, Chicago fell behind 2 games to 1 in games 2 and 3, only to come back and win the next 3 games and take the series. Thanks, again, to MLB Productions and Shout! Factory, audiences get to see the Cubs’ dominating NLCS Game 6 in its entirety. It was that game that catapulted the Cubs into the World Series. So audiences get to see that pivotal game and the World Series in whole, and even follow along at their own pace through the set’s companion booklet while learning some interesting facts along the way, too. Clearly, all three elements play their own huge part in the set’s presentation. All things considered, they show that MLB Productions has lived up to its reputation once again as has Shout! Factory, the leading name in home entertainment (at least in this critic’s view). They make this set in itself yet another home run for Cubs fans and MLB fans alike. When all of this is combined with the equally impressive 2016 World Series Film, which was released Dec. 6, the whole of both sets is a grand slam for any MLB fan and any Cubs fan.

2016 World Series Collector’s Edition: Chicago Cubs is yet another home run for MLB Productions and Shout! Factory. That is evident through an overall TV/radio broadcast that once again lives up to fans’ expectations of MLB Productions’ titles. The same can be said of the set’s companion booklet. Once again, MLB Productions has added so much depth to another presentation through its fully in-depth booklet, complete with game-specific trivia. The bonus NLCS Game 6 disc included in the set rounds out its most important elements. Audiences get to see that game in its entirety just as each of the World Series’ seven games. Each element is clearly important in its own right to the game’s presentation. All things considered, they make this set yet another home run for MLB fans and Cubs loyalists alike. When the set is joined with the newly released 2016 World Series Film, the two together make for a grand slam for all involved. The 2016 World Series Film is available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online via Shout! Factory’s online store. The 2016 World Series Collector’s Edition: Chicago Cubs will be available next Tuesday, Dec. 13. It can be pre-ordered online now via Shout! Factory’s online store. More information on this and other titles from Shout! Factory is available online now at:

Phil’s Picks has focused a lot lately on rock and other genres of music in the vastness of the musical universe. Today, the focus shifts away from those genres to something a little bit less mainstream. In today’s list, Phil’s Picks presents the year’s best new Jazz and blues records. This year’s list presents a wide variety of acts, from more well-known acts such as The Rolling Stones, Joe Bonamassa and Yellowjackets to perhaps lesser known, but still talented acts such as Hazmat Modine, Takuya Kuroda and others. It wasn’t an easy list to work up, either. That’s because there was so much great material out there this year. Combining jazz and blues into one list didn’t make things any easier. But it got done.

As with every other list, the Top 10 New Jazz and Blues Albums features the year’s top 10 new jazz and blues albums. It also includes five honorable mention titles for a total count of 15 albums. That is not to take away anything from those honorable mention titles. They are enjoyable in their own right and deserved to be noted, too. Enough rambling. Here, for everyone’s consideration, is Phil’s Picks’ 2016 Top 10 New Jazz and Blues Albums.

Experiencing a live performance of one’s favorite act(s) is a very special event. That is because it serves to help fans and their favorite acts connect in a way that taking in said acts’ studio releases just can’t. What’s more attending live concerts isn’t always easy or inexpensive. Between the cost of tickets, food, souvenirs, gas, and lodging, attending concerts can cost almost as much as a used car sometimes, depending on the act. In other cases, one’s favorite acts might never even come near one’s town. So what is a person to do to experience one’s favorite acts? The answer is simple: the live recording. That brings us to the topic of today’s “Best Of” list.

Today, Phil’s Picks presents its list of the year’s Top 10 New Live CDs. Everyone should understand this is distinguished from the year’s top new live DVDs and BDs. That’s because some recordings come only on CD while others are only presented on the latter format. Others are also presented in both formats both separate of one another and collectively. The recordings included in this list include both standalone CDs and CDs included in complete DVD/BD/CD sets. One of the standalone live CDs included in this list is ZZ Top’s new live recording Greatest Hits Live. The Outlaws’ Legacy Live is another of those standalone CD recordings. Joe Bonamassa also has a new live recording in the form of Live at the Greek Theatre that is available on separate CD, DVD, and BD platforms. It’s on this list, too. Suffice it to say, there’s a healthy mix of new live titles here both in terms of genre and platform. So, enough rambling. Presented here for you is Phil’s Picks 2016 Top 10 New Live CDs.

It should be noted here again that the list includes the Phil’s Picks Top 10 new Live CDs as well as five additional honorable mention titles for a total of 15 recordings.

Stone Sour will re-issue its 2006 album Come What(ever) May next week.

The band’s powerhouse record will be re-issued Dec. 16 on a special 10th Anniversary edition double LP in a special 180-gram black and gold pressing. The set’s lead disc features the album’s original presentation. The second disc includes previously unreleased live and acoustic takes of songs such as ‘Through Glass,’ ‘Wild Horses’ and ‘Zzyxx Road.’

Speaking of the latter song, the audiences can view the song’s companion video online now here. It has been made available as part of the celebration of the album’s upcoming 10th Anniversary re-issue.

Courtesy: Roadrunner Records

The record’s full track listing is noted below.

LP 1

SIDE A

30/30 150

Come What(ever) May

Hell & Consequences

Silly World

Made of Scars

Reborn

SIDE B

Your God

Through Glass

Socio

1st Person

Cardiff

Zzyxx Rd.

LP2

SIDE A

Through Glass (Live Acoustic)*

Wicked Game (Live Acoustic)*

Wild Horses (Live Acoustic)*

Cardiff (Acoustic)*

Zzyxx Rd.(Acoustic)*

SIDE B

Suffer

Fruitcake

Freeze Dry Seal

The Day I Let Go

The Frozen

Come What(ever) May will be re-issued Friday, Dec.16. It can be ordered online now here. More information on the record’s upcoming vinyl re-issue is available online now along with all of the band’s latest news and more at: